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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tToronto Blue Jays pitcher Cody Ponce makes a throw to first base during a drill at Spring Training in Dunedin, Fla., on Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Frank Gunn<\/p>\n
\u201cBut we\u2019ve got to wait for the MRI results and we\u2019re hoping for the best.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ponce was cruising along on Monday in his first regular-season start for Toronto as the Blue Jays hosted the winless Colorado Rockies.<\/p>\n
Facing centre-fielder Jake McCarthy in the third inning, he tumbled off the mound, earning a balk that advanced Kyle Karros to third. Ponce insisted he was unhurt, laughing as he composed himself and continued the at bat.<\/p>\n
Three pitches later, McCarthy hit a ground ball between the mound and first base. Blue Jays second baseman Ernie Clement charged the ball and Ponce chased after it, but Clement gave the larger pitcher space to make the play.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Instead, Ponce\u2019s right knee buckled and he rolled to the ground past first base as McCarthy reached safely and Karros scored.<\/p>\n
Schneider said that Ponce, Clement, and Toronto first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., all did what they were supposed to do on the play.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think if (Ponce) caught the ball, it might have been a different outcome,\u201d said Schneider. \u201cI think as he kind of stumbled to recover the ball, is where the injury happened.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ponce played for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2020 and 2021, appearing in a total of 20 games with a 1-7 record and a 5.86 earned-run average. He had 48 strikeouts over a total of 55 1\/3 innings pitched.<\/p>\n
He then moved on to Japan and South Korea, improving his pitching and developing a kick change-up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ponce had a 17-1 record over 29 starts with Hanwha in 2025, with a 1.89 ERA and 252 strikeouts to earn the KBO\u2019s most valuable player award. He agreed to a three-year, US$30-million deal with Toronto on Dec. 10.<\/p>\n
Ponce struck out three, allowing the one run on a walk and a hit in 2 1\/3 innings Monday. Schneider said that Ponce was meeting off-season expectations in his brief appearance before the injury.<\/p>\n
\u201cCutter, slider was really good. Fastball had good life. The change was where it should be,\u201d said Schneider. \u201cI think he was adjusting to bring it up in the zone a little bit more, to carry the zone a little bit more as he was going.\u00a0<\/p>\n